When a young female doctor notices an unnatural amount of comas occurring in her hospital she uncovers a horrible conspiracy.

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(screenplay), (novel)
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Dr. Susan Wheeler (as Genevieve Bujold)
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...
...
...
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Hari Rhodes ...
Dr. Morelind (as Harry Rhodes)
Gary Barton ...
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Jim
Alan Haufrect ...
Lance LeGault ...
Vince (as Lance Le Gault)
Michael MacRae ...
Chief Resident
...
Nurse
...
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Storyline

A young woman doctor discovers something sinister going on in her hospital. Relatively healthy patients are having 'complications' during simple operations and ending up in comas. The patients are then shipped off to an institute that looks after them. The young doctor suspects there is more to this than meets the eye. Written by Colin Tinto <cst@imdb.com>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

Imagine your life hangs by a thread. Imagine your body hangs by a wire. Imagine you're not imagining.


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

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Release Date:

6 January 1978 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Koma  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (video)

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Michael Douglas once described this film has having elements of both Love Story (1970) and The Hospital (1971) as well suspense elements of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Director Michael Crichton once wrote a number of novels under the pseudonym of "Michael Douglas" which was a hybrid of the first name of his (Michael) and his brother's (Douglas). See more »

Goofs

The MG-B that Dr. Wheeler drives in the opening scene with a tan interior and a black plastic honeycomb grille switches to an earlier model with a black interior and an all chrome grille (noticeable in the scene where the car will not start). When Dr. Wheeler visits the Jefferson Institute, it has switched back to the MG-B with the tan interior and black grille. See more »

Quotes

Dr. Cowans: Anesthesia's the easiest job in the world until something goes wrong. It's 99% boredom and 1% scared-shitless panic.
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Connections

Referenced in The Cell (2000) See more »

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User Reviews

"Someone's putting people into comas..."
17 April 2002 | by (Cincinnati, OH) – See all my reviews

Not for those who fear the medical profession, this creepy thriller takes it's time getting started, but then kicks into high gear. It creates a mood and builds suspense to an almost unbearable degree. Elfin Bujold (sporting a truly unappealing hairstyle) is Dr. Susan Wheeler, a principled, dedicated intern at a major hospital. She begins to notice a disturbing trend...that folks with purportedly minor surgeries are not coming out of their operations conscious. From this point on, it is virtually Bujold against the world as a gallery of sexist, condescending doctors (including her own lover Douglas) tries to poo-poo her findings or encourage her to lay off. Naturally, she can't leave well enough alone and is soon up to her ears in intrigue and violence. The film has a blatantly frank point of view. People eat sandwiches while they are examining cadavers. Brains are sliced like deli meat. It's all very clinical and unsettling to non-medical viewers. There are several highly-charged moments including a duct hole exploration and a chase through a seemingly abandoned hospital. Jerry Goldsmith's clanking score doesn't take center stage until late in the film, but is wonderfully nerve-wracking when it needs to be. Bujold and the Chief of Staff Widmark make wonderful counterparts as they come from different generations and different eras of medicine. Best of all is the brief, but unforgettable, appearance of Ashley as the world's most intimidating nurse. In her opening scene she blinks exactly once! Her voice is a monotone terror and her stare is up there with Medusa's. The section that contains her is surreal, but arresting and very campy! Adding to the fun is a series of small appearances by people like Torn, Chiles, Selleck and Harris. This is a frightening film with some memorable imagery and a startling amount of skin for a PG film.


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